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PLA 3020: Law and Society

This guide is designed to assist students with their academic reseach for (PLA 3020) Law and Society.

Executive

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) . 1938- . Annual. (UWF Library Law Collection KF 70 A3)
Each year all the permanent regulations are codified (arranged by subject) and published in the Code of Federal Regulations.
Sample Citation: 24 C.F. R. 202.13.
Online Versions:
Congressional Universe
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe
National Archives  http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html
Westlaw

Federal Register. Current Year. (UWF Library Law Collection KF 70 A2) 1936-last year (Microfilm 540)
The Federal Register is a daily publication which contains proposed, interim, and final rules and regulations. A monthly index cumulates quarterly and annually.
Sample Citation:  14 Fed. Reg. 16,190.
Online Versions:
Congressional Universe  1980-
GPO Access https://www.govinfo.gov/​
Westlaw 1980-

Constitutional

Constitution of the United States of America. 1996. (UWF Library Law Collection KF 4527 A2 1996)
The text of the Constitution of the United States is provided in the first title of the United States Code (UWF Library Law Collection KF 62 1994 A2) and the United States Code Annotated (UWF Library Law Collection KF 62 1927 W45).
Online Versions:
Congressional Research Service  http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/browse.html
Constitution of the U.S.  http://www.law.emory.edu/FEDERAL/usconst.html
FindLaw  http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/constitution
Guide to the Constitution  http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/constitution/index.cfm
National Archives and Records  http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution.html
Westlaw (the Constitution is listed on the Westlaw home page under Famous Documents)

Legislative

United States Statutes at Large. 1789/1873- (UWF Library Law Collection KF 50 U5)
Once a law has been passed by Congress and signed by the President (or passed over his veto) it is disseminated to the public. The first printed form of the legislation is published in a pamphlet called a 'Slip Law.' Slip laws are eventually cumulated chronologically by session and published in volumes entitled United States Statutes at Large. Each volume of this official statutory text contains a subject and an individual index. Earlier years are on available on microfiche.
Sample citation: 94 Stat. 3124.
Online Versions:.
Congressional Universe 1789- includes law within 10 days of passage
THOMAS 1973 http://thomas.loc.gov
Public Laws http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=PLAW
Westlaw

United States Code:  Containing the General and Permanent Laws of the United States. 2000. (UWF Library Law Collection KF 62 2000 A2)
The U.S. Code provides access to current laws by arranging them into 50 broad subject areas called titles. This work is published every six years and is updated annually with supplements. Sample citation: 1 U.S.C. Sec. 908.
The United States Code Annotated (UWF Library Law Collection KF 62 1927 W45) presents all the current laws in title number order but it also provides annotations of the court decisions which have interpreted each section of the code.
Sample citation: 42 U.S.C.A.  Sec. 158.
It is supplemented by U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News (UWF Library Law Collection KF 48 U5).
Online Versions:
Congressional Universe.  1994-
Lexis Nexis Academic Universe.  1996-
United States Code. 1996-  http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode
U.S. House of Representatives. 1994-  http://uscode.house.gov/search/criteria.shtml
United States Code (GPO). 1994- https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/uscode
Westlaw

Legislative Histories: CIS Legislative Histories. 1984-1997. UWF Library Law Collection Z1223 Z7 C66)
A chronological list of actions and documents that follow a bill's progress.
Online Versions: 
Congressional Universe
Westlaw  1948-

Congressional Record. 1789-1838 (MF 24A), 1873-1976 (MF 26), 1977-1988 (U.S. Doc. Microform X:), 1989-1997 (U.S. Doc. Microform X 1.1:) 1998-  (U.S. Doc. Microform X 1.1/A:)
A register of the proceedings and debates of Congress with daily updates.
Online Versions:
AllLaw. 1994-  http://www.AllLaw.com/law/federal_law
Congressional Universe  1985-
Congressional Record Index. 1983-  http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cri/index.html
Congressional Record -Main Page. 1994-  http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=CREC
Thomas  http://thomas.loc.gov  1989-
Westlaw  1985-

 

Judicial

United States Reports. 1754- . (UWF Library Law Collection KF 101 U5)
Decisions made by the Supreme Court are first published as 'Slip Opinions' (UWF Library Law Collection KF 101 U51).  These 'Slip Opinions' are then cumulated into chronologically arranged volumes entitled United States Reports. (Sample citation: 387 U.S. 467.) The Digest Of The U.S. Supreme Court Reports (Lawyers Edition), 1969-  (UWF Library Law Collection KF 101.1 D5), indexes and provides summaries of the Supreme Court cases.  Both federal and state cases are also summarized in the "Decennial Digest" series (UWF Library Law Collection KF 141....).
Online Versions:

Fedworld
. 1937-1975.   http://fedworld.ntis.gov/
Findlaw
. 1893-. http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/supreme.html
Legal Information Institute 1990-. http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/index.html
Historic Supreme Court Decisions http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/cases/judges.htm
LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe 1790-

Supreme Court of the United States http://www.supremecourtus.gov - General information, slip opinions, calendars, rules
Westlaw 1945-
United States Law Week. 1987/88- (UWF Library Law Collection K 25 N568 )
A loose-leaf service which mails Supreme Court decisions on the day they are decided. Subject, case and docket number (for an upcoming case) indexes are provided. Electronic sources of Supreme Court calendars, schedules and biographies of justices are:
Online versions :
Legal Information Institute 1990- http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/index.html
Westlaw

Lower Federal Courts
This work provides coverage of the decisions for the U.S. Courts of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals, the U.S. Court of Claims, and the U.S. District Courts. Print versions of these opinions are located in Federal Reporter (UWF Library Law Collection KF 105 F424) and Federal Supplement (UWF Library Law Collection KF 105 F423).
Online Versions:
AllLaw. 1994- http://www.AllLaw.com/law/federal_law
Emory University Federal Courts Finder http://www.law.emory.edu/caselaw/
Findlaw http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/index.html
Internet Legal Resource Guide. 1993-http://www.ilrg.com/caselaw
Legal Information Institute http://www.law.cornell.edu
Lexis Nexis Academic Universe  1789-
Westlaw
FDsys http://www.fdsys.gov

Federal Civil Judicial Procedure and Rules. Annual. (Reserve and UWF Library Law Collection KF 8816 A193) See also (U.S. Doc. Y 4. J 89/1-11).
Online Version   http://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcp/index.html

Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (UWF Library Law Collection KF 9607 1980 and U.S. Doc. Y 4. J 89/1-12)
Online Version  http://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcrmp/

Federal Rules of Evidence (Gov. Doc. Y 4. J 89/1-13)
Online Versions http://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/fre/index.html

Other Court Rules
Online Versions
Court Rules, Forms and Dockets http://www.llrx.com/courtrules
Index to Rules (LawSource)  http://www.lawsource.com/also/usa.cgi?us1
Legal Information Institute  http://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/supct/index.html -
Westlaw